Climate & Environment

Ireland’s carbon emissions increased almost 5% last year, new EPA figures show

A surge in the use of coal and oil for electricity generation, coupled with a continued increase in agricultural emissions contributed to the country’s overall carbon emissions levels increase above 61.5 million tons of C02 equivalent

Energy emissions increased more than 17 per cent last year due to a tripling in the use of coal-fired electricity generation at Moneypoint power station.

Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions increased by almost 5 per cent last year to more than 61.5 million tons of C02 equivalent, according to provisional figures released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The agency said greenhouse gas levels increased in 2021 as the economy reopened after Covid-19 and warned that carbon emissions last year were even higher than pre-pandemic levels, mostly due to a surge in coal and oil use in the energy sector, as ...